Accused father relives son's abortion horror

A father accused of murdering his terminally-ill son told a jury today how he watched in horror as doctors used a 2ft-long needle to terminate a second unborn boy.

Andrew Wragg, 37, told Lewes Crown Court that he could still remember vividly the moment his wife, Mary, had an abortion at seven-and-a-half months.

Former SAS soldier Wragg denies murdering the couple's 10-year-old son Jacob at the family home in Worthing, Sussex, in July last year.

He admits manslaughter on the grounds of

diminished responsibility.

Giving evidence for the first time in the trial, Wragg, wearing a grey suit and tie, spoke of the devastating moment that he and Mary discovered their unborn baby was carrying the same condition as Jacob.

Jacob was left deaf, unable to speak and crippled by Hunter Syndrome, a degenerative disease which affects physical and mental development. Few

sufferers live past their mid-teens.

999 call

Wragg dialled 999 on July 24 last year from his house in Henty Close to say he had murdered Jacob by smothering him with a pillow. He claimed it was a mercy killing.

Today he said he and his wife decided to abort their second baby, later named Henry, when tests revealed he was a Hunter carrier.

At the time, the court heard, Wragg was training with the army in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, after passing a course to join the SAS.

The diagnosis came just hours after tests revealed that Jacob had the disease and would die young. The couple were given two hours to decide whether or not to keep Henry.

Wragg, the son of a policeman and whose brother Steve is head of security at Washington DC airport, told of the moment his wife rang with news of Jacob's condition.

He said: "I was in a lecture when she rang to say that Jacob was dying.

"The following morning the three of us went to the hospital in Hereford to see a paediatrician who gave us the news of which disease it was.

"I do not think that either of us realised the implications for Henry. They brought to our attention that we needed to have Henry tested.

"We discussed what we would do if the results came back that Henry was a carrier. We trusted the professional who said we did not want to bring another Hunter into the world because of the terrible things that would happen to them. We decided we would terminate."

Abortion

Wragg told the court that doctors failed to discuss with him the abortion procedure before Mary was sedated and taken into a small side room.

With Mary listening in court today, Wragg said: "They used an ultrasound scanner to find Henry's heart. They then placed a coin on Mary to mark the spot where his heart was. They then put a 2ft-long needle straight into Mary's stomach, into the baby. They were stabbing around trying to find it, which they eventually did.

"The doctors then discussed how much fluid they needed to stop the heart. They needed two attempts because the heart was still beating. Then they said 'it's done, it's finished' and that was Henry terminated."

Mary underwent an eight-hour labour to deliver Henry's dead body.

Sir Michael Sayers QC, defending, asked the defendant to describe the moment he lost his son Henry.

Wragg said: "It was horrific. I could not understand why they did not tell me what was going to happen. I think if I had known, I would not have chosen to be there."

Mr Sayers asked: "Is it a memory you can easily discard?"

Wragg replied: "It's still very vivid. I can remember it very well but I try not to think about it."